Don't Communicate: Engage!

This week I was preparing a presentation about how nonprofits can engage with the public better. The trick is there is no trick. There isn't a magic formula to improve public engagement but I do know what doesn't work. It doesn't work to yell louder or even more frequently about how your organization and its programs are the best that ever was.

Public engagement is committing to a two-way relationship where each party gets something out of it, not a one-sided relationship where the nonprofit seeks public support, volunteers, donations, or even clients. Do you really know what your community needs and wants from you?

So before you start talking, start listening. And even better, commit to building a culture in your nonprofit organization that is open to outsiders at all times. Think about how you share what you do, why you do it, what impact you are having, and how you manage your finances. It's actually pretty simple to say but very hard to do.

Nonprofits are notoriously risk averse and fearful of being "exposed". It is this fear that keeps the public from truly understanding what they want to do and why they should be supported. Be brave, be fearless, and then the public will find you and want to come along for the ride. Think mutual benefit.

Comments

The Art of Nonprofits According to Pablo Picasso

I lead two nonprofit workshops this week; one on the use of technology and one on how to communicate your impact. I always begin my workshops with a similar theme: understand your organization and take a serious look at your values, vision, and mission. Once that is clear, you can more clearly identify the goals and actions to take your organization where it needs to go. Seems simple but in most cases, these are extremely hard conversations to have and even harder to reach consensus. As I was leaving my Forefront workshop in Galesburg, Illinois, I drove past a construction crew working on a house and had to capture the image. The signs read "Every action of creation is first of all an act of destruction " by Pablo Picasso . Genius and true! If you want to build strong buildings and organizations, you first have to tear them apart, see what you're dealing with, come up with a plan for improvement and then build it. This also reminds of nonprofit...

A Thank You Letter to Libraries

“The public library is a center of public happiness first, of public education next.” ― John Cotton Dana , A Library Primer (1903) . Libraries have been, and will likely always be, a large part of my life. My library at Holy Name Catholic School was my first volunteer experience, at the age of 10. By volunteering in the library, I could come to school early before the other students arrived, and sort and shelve books. I remember feeling peaceful while my classmates arrived on buses and on foot, filling the grounds outside. At the first bell, the silence would end, and I would have to go to my classroom. I started a classroom library in 7th grade, complete with our very own card catalog. On weekends, I would go to the Pembroke Public Library , finding a quiet corner usually on the second floor and escape in books, the outside world fading away to barely a hum. I spent many hours in that Public Library ...

Recovering Executive Director

Search This Blog